We're clean! Regan defends the Scottish game after betting arrests

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan has insisted everything possible is being done to ensure Scottish football is untainted by betting irregularities.

Motherwell midfielder Steve Jennings was arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation into suspicious gambling activity.

The father of Wayne Rooney, Wayne Snr, and the England striker’s uncle, Richie, were two of the eight other men also arrested by Merseyside Police.

The early-morning swoop was the result of a joint operation with the Gambling Commission, set in motion after concerns were raised about an irregular number of bets being placed on a red card in Motherwell’s Fir Park meeting with Hearts on December 14 last year.

Working with police: Regan

Jennings was sent off for using foul and abusive language towards referee Stevie O’Reilly when he complained about a rejected penalty claim in the 83rd minute of his club’s 2-1 defeat that evening.

Speaking as the Scotland squad prepared to fly out to Switzerland ahead of their match with Liechtenstein, Regan was anxious to stress the allegations relate to just one match.

‘I am confident that Scottish football is doing everything it can to take any betting irregularities out of the game,’ he said.

‘At this stage we are talking about one match in Scottish football, and that match was last December. There is no evidence to suggest that any other match has been involved.

‘Clearly, the betting irregularities are alleged at this stage, we haven’t got any detailedinformation and until we have, it is not appropriate to comment.

‘We will be working and co-operating with the police and the Gambling Commission as required and we will wait for further information.’

The match at the centre of the investigation was shown live on television and Jennings was seen lashing out angrily at a plastic cup in the dressing-room after his dismissal.

Flashpoint: Jennings gets sent off for Motherwell, while Wayne Rooney Snr (inset) was one of 9 men arrested in connection with an investigation into a betting scandal

The Fir Park club have so far stood by the midfielder — a key player since joining them from Tranmere in summer 2009 — and released a brief statement: ‘Motherwell FC can today (Thursday) confirm that the Scottish Football Association made the club aware that one of our players was taken to a Merseyside police station early this morning in connection with an ongoing investigation.

‘We have no further comment to make. Any further statement would be wholly inappropriate and the club can only do so when properly appraised of the next steps in the process by the relevant authorities.’